As the apostles had been chosen by the Lord for special instruction and a special commission, the seventy that had been chosen might represent the larger spectrum of the disciples (Luke 10:1). One man wrote in regards to this: “In addition, the marching orders for the seventy are by their very nature applicable to every Christian” (Michael Wilcock, The Message of Luke, p. 120). The seventy that had been chosen needed to be made aware of a number of things. First, they had need to understand the mission that was ahead (10:2). They had to understand the harvest was great, but the workers were few. Consequently, an unfair load would be placed on those who love the Lord, engaged in this “business.” The burden of this load meant they could very well have been forgoing comfort and leisure (Wilcock, p. 119).
Second, they also had to understand the dangers that were lying squarely in their path, and even those that sprung from the brush to attack (Luke 10:3-4). There are quite a lot of people today who embrace Christ for reasons that are not all that substantive. For instance, one reason some embrace Christ is because it brings the promise of peace. The promise of peace is very much biblical and accurate (Romans 5:1), but that peace promise is one’s relationship between the saved one and the Lord; many, however, look upon it as peace from afflictions in life. Without clearly understanding this, the parable of the soils fits aptly (Matthew 13).
Some practical applications to this we can make. The message we take with us in our hearts and behaviors is the life of Christ. Let us be sure we tell people that He came, and He is coming again (Judgment Day). Until He comes, though, we want to communicate that He established an institution wherein all the saved are “collected” into His godly body, the church (Eph. 1:22-23). The “collected” ones in this body are called out of this world to be holy. Since man has altered the teachings of Jesus relative to this body, the Lord’s saints are sent out to preach, seeking to restore that which the Lord originally taught. It is not a good thing when any part of that which the Lord taught is altered or corrupted.
